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There's nothing quite like a nice, aged cheese, but even the most adventurous cheese connoisseurs would be put off by a recent discovery from an an ancient Chinese tomb. Archaeologists uncovered perfectly preserved mummies whose chests were sprinkled with extra aged, 3,5000-year-old cheese—the world's oldest cheese by a long shot.
Since dairy has a tendency to decay pretty quickly, cheese isn't exactly known for its staying power. It just so happened that the conditions at Small River Cemetery Number 5 in northwestern China—the site at which the cheese-covered mummies were discovered—created the perfect storm of prime cheese preservation. USA Today explains:
The cheese isn't just remarkable for its age, though; the discovery also sheds light on the ancient cheese-making technologies. An analysis showed that the cheese had been made using a mix of bacteria and yeast, creating something that we might liken to cottage cheese that was also lactose-free.
And while scientists do have evidence of cheese-making strainers dating back over 7000 years, any cheese from that time is, presumably, long gone by now. Here's to hoping the archaeologists take a page out of this scientist's book.
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The world's oldest cheese has been found buried with Chinese mummies
Katie Drummond - February 27, 2014
In a finding that puts even the most well-aged cheese to shame, researchers say they've discovered the world's oldest variety — dating way back to 1615 BC — buried with ancient mummies in China.The world's oldest cheese has been found buried with Chinese mummies
Katie Drummond - February 27, 2014
As USA Today reports, the cheese was found in clumps on the bodies of well-preserved mummies (including the one shown above) in China's Small River Cemetery Number 5. The location is unique, because bodies interred in the region were essentially freeze-dried, meaning their features, clothing, and culinary accompaniments are still discernible even thousands of years later. In large part, that incredible preservation is due to a combination of dry air, salty earth, and tightly-sealed burial conditions.
The cheese itself, which was found over a series of archeological digs dating back to 2002, was identified using analysis of protein and fat content. Investigators speculate that the cheese was made using a kefir starter (bacteria and yeast) which is then combined with milk. The majority of today's cheeses, in contrast, rely on rennet — an enzyme taken from an animal's gut — to curdle milk and yield a final product. But the kefir strategy, researchers say, makes sense: it's significantly easier because it doesn't necessitate the slaughter of a young animal, and kefir-based cheese is lower in lactose, which aligns with the prevalent lactose intolerance among Asian populations. More details on the researchers' methods and analyses will be laid out in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.
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Plus we were tricked into it....
